Hudson man accused of committing auto theft

SPRING HILL A Hudson man was arrested Monday on a grand theft auto charge after a sanitation worker called authorities about a suspicious vehicle, deputies said.

Joseph Nils Lucas, 28, of 13118 Coxswain Court, was booked shortly before 9 a.m. at the Hernando County Jail. His bail was set at $2,000.

The Hernando County Sheriff's Office responded earlier that morning to 319 Royal Palm Way after reports of the suspicious vehicle were made by someone at Sea Side Sanitation, according to an arrest affidavit.

The vehicle was running, the windows were smashed and the suspect was asleep behind the wheel, deputies said.

A tag check revealed the vehicle had been stolen out of Pasco County, according to the sheriff's office.

After Lucas was placed under arrest, he told authorities he received the vehicle from a friend in exchange for money owed to him, deputies said.

Jail records show Lucas also was charged Monday with one count of criminal mischief. His previous arrest in July 2010 included charges of fraud and drug trafficking.